Oscar Commentary 2017: Ranking the Best Picture Winners (2007-2016)

There’s always a strong debate on whether the Oscars are truly relevant in showcasing the overall quality of a film, particularly with the Best Picture winner. This is especially true in recent years, as many have called the Academy’s recent choices “safe”. We could argue that all day, but I’d like to think that they’re still at least picking good movies, even if some of them haven’t aged well. With that being said, let’s take a look at the last ten movies to win Best Picture and see which ones have stood the test of time or faded away from public consciousness. I will also briefly leave my pick on what should have won that year out of the nominated films, so you won’t see mentions of such films as The Dark Knight or Drive, as they were not nominated. If you guys like it, I’ll see about doing this again next year with the upcoming Best Picture winner in mind. Until then, the list is as follows:

10. The King’s Speech – This is the very definition of an inspirational film, and I do mean that in the best way. Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) gives the performance of his career as King George VI, finding all the best places to insert Bertie’s signature stammer in the screenplay. Under the hands of a more gutsy director, this could have been a true tour-de-force film that deserved to win Best Picture. But under the direction of Tom Hooper (Les Misérables), it just feels rather safe. However, despite it being at the bottom of my list, this is by no means a bad movie, and it still holds a special place in my heart as one of the tools I used to overcome my own stammer. Again, the very definition of an inspirational film, just not much beyond that.

Should have won: The Social Network

9. The Artist – Another safe movie, but there is a significant difference between The Artist and The King’s Speech, and that difference is what ultimately resulted in the former ranking higher on this list. Instead of being safe but inspirational like The King’s Speech, The Artist lacks in inspiration but makes up for it by actually taking advantage of its craft. Okay, it doesn’t do that much, but this almost-completely silent film does have a couple jarring scenes with sound that are used to great effect, each showing the turmoil and development of its protagonist. The end result may not have been spectacular, but the ambition is definitely there. Sometimes, that’s enough to get you a leg up over someone else.

Should have won: Hugo

8. Spotlight – Most people might’ve forgotten that this movie won Best Picture. While that may be mostly because it came on the heels of Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) finally winning an Oscar, I think part of the reason is how stale and unmoving it is. In some ways, that’s the film’s biggest weakness, as it’s hard to get invested in a story and characters when the story and characters themselves aren’t invested in the story and characters. But that may also be its biggest strength, as one of the major themes of the film is that the pedophile priests were in plain sight and everybody knew about them, but for one reason or another they were too afraid to say anything. Whichever way you look at it, this is definitely a film that lends itself to airing on TV, and I guess someone had the bright idea that it was meant for bigger things.

Should have won: The Revenant

7. Argo – This is the only reason I still consider Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to be a prominent Best Picture contender this year, because very few movies have won Best Picture without even being nominated for Best Director. While many may attribute this to the film being about Hollywood swooping in and saving the day, let’s not forget that this is still a well-made thriller with some genuinely suspenseful sequences, particularly the opening raid on the American Embassy in Iran and a marketplace tour towards the end of the second act. My only real issue is that the supporting cast isn’t terribly memorable, and they’re the people who we’re supposed to care about whether or not they’re rescued. That’s why it’s not higher on this list, but it’s still worth a viewing or two nonetheless.

Should have won: Life of Pi

6. Birdman – Yet another film about Hollywood, though this one does take a bit of a stab at it. The theme of the film seems to be rebellion, and this is mostly shown through Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) and his daughter Sam (Emma Stone), the latter rebelling against her father who is rebelling against Hollywood and superhero films, each having provided a lot for the well-being of those under them in this rebel cycle. Basically, everybody’s biting the hand that feeds them, but the film also tries to show how that hand is also choking them, which makes us ask if either action is ever justified. The long-take (or illusion thereof) by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) further illustrates this rebellion against the myriads of quick cuts seen in most superhero movies, and major props to the production designers for keeping the sets filled with something interesting to look at the entire time. While it may not soar like its title character, its wings are still powerful enough to get airborne.

Should have won: Boyhood

5. 12 Years a Slave – You all knew we were gonna get to this one sooner or later. You don’t want to talk about it, just like you didn’t want it to win. Well, I’m with you, but I’m the one writing this blog so we’re gonna talk about it anyway. This is a cold and unforgiving portrait of slavery in pre-Civil War America, even more so when Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) had tasted freedom his whole life. As painful as it is to watch, a lot of that is thanks to the actors and how much range they bring to their performances, particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Martian) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds). They prove that the calmest scenes can be just as unsettling as anything else when the setting is this relentlessly cruel. There, now that we’re done, we can be happy, right?

Should have won: The Wolf of Wall Street

4. Moonlight – It’s no mistake, Moonlight just barely missed out on the top three. As much as anyone can relate to this story, especially as someone who spent years living in and exploring South Florida, much of this film’s longevity will be because of the manner in which it was presented with the Best Picture Oscar. But while it may be too artsy for casual viewers’ tastes, it’s still a great film that tells a sprawling epic on an intimate scale. If you’ve been to South Beach, you immediately recognize it when one of the film’s key scenes begins there, even though it may look like just any other beach. It’s a film about a journey, which is what most movies are anyway, but this journey is unique to the character of Chiron and unique throughout cinema, and somehow we all saw ourselves in this journey. And that is no mistake.

Should have won: La La Land

3. No Country for Old Men – Like Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), we’re starting to creep into darker territory here, and also where the films become more deserving of a Best Picture win. While I would not have voted for it to win, this is still a fantastic effort by the then-overdue Coen Brothers (True Grit), who infused their signature wit into a lawless and desolate wasteland that makes the Old West look like a rompin’ good time. All of the actors give it their all, but it really is Javier Bardem (Skyfall) who steals the show and everything else out from under everyone. It’s the kind of movie that slowly stalks you after you’re done watching it and appears in your thoughts when you least expect it, even though you’ve been anticipating its arrival the whole time.

Should have won: There Will Be Blood

2. Slumdog Millionaire – If we don’t count the two or three or four movies that should’ve been nominated for Best Picture that year but weren’t, the Academy made the right choice picking this movie. Even if we do count them, there’s still that argument to be made. Danny Boyle (127 Hours) doesn’t shy away from showing the darker side of the slums in India, but at the same time he borrows a few tactics from Bollywood filmmaking to craft this love story that spans across time, distance, and game shows. There are plenty of dark moments, but it’s ultimately satisfying at the end, and the music by A. R. Rahman (Lagaan) fits the mood throughout the entire film. It’s a feel good movie that gives you every reason and desire to feel good. Whether you think it’s outclassed or not, it’s still one for the ages.

Should have won: Slumdog Millionaire

1. The Hurt Locker – Finally at the top, we come to one of the best and most challenging war films of the 21st Century, one whose screenplay runs with the traditional hero’s journey but then flips it on its head. Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) understood what this script was going for, and had the film shot with as much realism in order to normalize the experience of war to the audience, which is exactly the perspective we need to be in to understand the decisions made by the protagonist. For him, war is the normal world, and this is important in understanding the character and the culture we live in where we have become so desensitized to war and violence that we can’t get enough of it, almost like an addiction that we rush back to every chance we get. It’s a haunting and realistically fresh take on familiar themes and stories, but that makes it all the better because of it, and that’s why it’s the best Best Picture winner of the last decade.

Should have won: The Hurt Locker

So what have we learned? Aside from a few outliers, the safe films did drift towards the bottom of the list, while the upper half was dominated by darker films. Even when we had moments of happiness in the top half or melancholy in the bottom half, it was still balanced out (and then some) by the dominating emotion of the film. But the better films are generally more challenging, whether they challenge the audience or the filmmaking craft. Having said that, all of these films are still worth a watch. Maybe you’ll get something out of them, maybe you won’t. They all seemed to have resonated with someone if they managed to win the title of Best Picture.

Oscar Commentary 2017: Superhero Movies

Gal Gadot strides through No Man’s Land in Wonder Woman (2017).

Year after year, I hear this argument: why does the Academy not recognize popular films that people actually see? Well, the truth is they do. Best Picture nominees like Inception (2010), The Revenant (2015), The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003), and many others in recent years, were all massive box office hits for the time. In fact, there’s usually at least one Best Picture nominee that makes north of $400 million at the worldwide box office, and that’s nothing to scoff at. But the argument persists because the people making it mean something else entirely: why does the Academy never nominate superhero movies for major awards? Now if they asked this question instead of the former, they’d actually have ground to stand on. And this year especially, fans seemed ever more eager to see a superhero movie nominated for Best Picture, namely Logan or Wonder Woman. Alas, it didn’t happen, but should it happen?

Christopher Reeve flies through the skies in Superman (1978).

Now it’s important to note that while no superhero movie has ever been nominated for Best Picture, a few of them have been nominated for (and even won) Oscars in the past. Superman (1978), Spider-Man (2002) and Batman Begins (2005) were all nominated for technical awards like cinematography and editing; Spider-Man 2 (2004) and The Incredibles (2004) both took home some wins in the same year; and even Suicide Squad (2016) somehow managed to win an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. I still don’t understand how that happened. But what about the major awards for acting and writing? Sure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe usually sneaks itself into the Best Visual Effects lineup, but it’s extremely rare to see a superhero movie nominated for what’s referred to as the “above-the-line” awards. You’d think characters who can leap tall buildings in a single bound would have a much easier time reaching those heights.

Heath Ledger and Christian Bale interrogate each other in The Dark Knight.

Again, it has happened. Just this year, Logan was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. The aforementioned The Incredibles was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. And lest we forget, The Dark Knight (2008) was a monster at the nominations that year, scoring eight nominations and two wins, including a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. So my initial argument will be focused on these three films, particularly what makes them stand out against other superhero films. Everyone’s talked about why The Dark Knight is the best in its genre, so I won’t say too much about it. It really did elevate the genre to a new level, not just in quality, but by blending it with other genres. It’s not just an action, but also a crime drama and a political thriller. The ensemble cast includes businessmen, politicians, and beat cops, all of whom are entangled in the rivalry between Batman and the Joker while still trying to uphold peace in one of the most chaotic cities on Earth. With themes of order, chaos, fairness, and humanity in play with the main cast members, it’s no wonder fans were outraged when Christopher Nolan’s take on the Batman mythos wasn’t a bigger hit with the Academy than it was.

The good old days are reminisced in The Incredibles (2004).

What about The Incredibles? It won a couple Oscars, including Best Animated Feature. Okay, that’s not surprising for a Pixar film, but it does go to show how talented the storytellers at Pixar are at creating layered stories that appeal to adults while still being accessible to children. Remember how a man attempts to commit suicide in the first five minutes? And then five minutes later sues Mr. Incredible for thwarting said suicide attempt? Yeah, this was dark even for Pixar. But among many more adult themes, the core story is about a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis. That man just so happens to have superhuman strength. Logan has similar themes with regard to age, which is fitting since it’s the last time we’ll ever see Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart as Wolverine and Professor X. Here, both of these characters that we’ve seen in glory and dignity for almost twenty years have been broken down by the ravages of time, suffering from Alzheimer’s, failing immune systems, and crushed souls after all of their loved ones have passed on. Going back to genre-bending, it also functions as a western set in a dystopian future. The main characters, once again, happen to be superpowered beings that we know and love.

Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman grow weary of the other’s comfort in Logan.

So we know that The Incredibles got its shot thanks to the power of Pixar, and Logan may have only gotten its screenplay nod thanks to a weak year for movies based on pre-existing source material, but how close did they get to Best Picture nods? Well, I’d say a lot of these films and others got pretty close. Logan was selected as one of the ten best films of the year by the National Board of Review. The Incredibles, The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and others were all on similar lists by the American Film Institute. And along with Deadpool (2016), those three were also nominated for the top prize at the Producers Guild of America, the winner of which usually going on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. A lot of the films I’ve mentioned here have done something different from other superhero films, whether it’s Wonder Woman as a period piece about the innate goodness of humanity or Deadpool as a screwball comedy making fun of other superhero tropes.

Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo assemble for a money shot in The Avengers (2012).

As close as they’re getting, why have we yet to see a superhero film score a Best Picture nod at the Oscars? Many might cite the demographics of the Academy voters and that most of them are old white men. Some bring up the “prestige factor” that comes with the Oscars, which are often referred to as the Super Bowl of movies. One might even call it stupidity, and there’s plenty of that going around in the Academy regardless of what superhero movie didn’t get a nomination this year. All of these arguments have some merit to them. But if you want my take on it, and I assume you do since you’re reading this article, I think it’s because most superhero movies aren’t good enough for Best Picture recognition. There are a few I would’ve nominated. I still say The Dark Knight and The Avengers (2012) were the best films of their respective years, and I’d even make arguments for X-Men (2000), Watchmen (2009), and a couple others. But most of the time, they still have noticeable flaws.

Michael B. Jordan and Dane DeHaan reach for new heights in Chronicle (2012).

No movie is perfect. And while it’s true that superhero movies take more risks on a technical level than most other films do, 1) most of that has to do with their insanely high production budgets, and 2) not all of the risks pay off. Whether it’s noticeably bad CGI, silly-looking costumes, uneven pacing as a result of introducing audiences to a completely different world that’s kinda still our own but not really, there’s a lot to poke fun at despite how good many of them are. And in a competitive race like the Oscars, voters are more likely to lean towards something that got everything right than something that swung for all the pitches but got two strikes and three balls. But the genre is also still very young, at least as far as the mainstream appeal is. While we got big screen takes of Superman and Batman in the 80s, almost all of the current success of the superhero genre has been in the 2000s and beyond, and almost entirely within two properties: Marvel and DC. The genre needs to branch out and tell other stories before it can win over Academy voters, and I think it’s on the right path to doing that. Logan and The Dark Knight are perfect examples of that within the major properties, so imagine what more niche properties can do on a narrative level. I’d love to see another movie like Chronicle (2012), and more than that I’d love to see it be so good it’s a frontrunner for Best Picture. But until the genre matures, I think it’ll be awhile before a movie achieves that kind of superpower.